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Things to do in Downtown Austin – Austin Panic Room

AG | May 7, 2015 |

Are you itching for something a little different – a little outside of the normal weekend routine of brunch, shopping, frisbee golf in Zilker, etc?

Well, have I got a recommendation for you – Austin Panic Room.

It’s one of the funnest group activities that I’ve done in a very long time, and they have recently relocated from East Austin into downtown Austin at 1205 Rio Grande, near ACC and Pease Elementary.

Here’s the scoop: Austin Panic Room is basically just a big puzzle you solve with your friends (and maybe some strangers) in about an hour.

Newest Installation of Public Art Project at 2nd and Guadalupe

AG | April 22, 2015 |

The Second Street Public Art Master Plan (part of Great Streets), in coordination with the City’s Art in Public Places program, has methodically been placing art in around the district since the mid-2000s, when 7 sidewalk enhancements were commissioned at district intersections to reflect a unified theme.

The City of Austin has a 2% for art ordinance that was established in 1985. Art in Public Places (AIPP) is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year and Austin was the first municipal public art program in the state of Texas. Under the ordinance, 2% of eligible capital improvement project budgets are allocated for the commission of public art for that site. The projects in The Second Street Public Art Master Plan are under that envelope of funding.

91 Red River Moving, To Be Preserved

AG | April 17, 2015 |

Update: Whelp, we’re not sure what happened, but we noticed the home was actually demolished, and not moved, like we had been previously been told by a source close to the property.

New signals of an inevitable redevelopment of the northeastern corner of Davis Street and Red River. We noticed yesterday that there was drilling outside of the home and we asked about it. We were told by a reliable source that the home, constructed in the early 1900’s, is being relocated to a retirement couple in Thorndale, possibly as part of a larger retirement community of historic homes.

Back in August of 2014, 91 and 91 1/2 Red River received demo permits from the City. As the Rainey Street district continues to evolve, we are glad to see these homes preserved.

5 things Amazon Will deliver to Downtown Austin in 1 hour

AG | April 9, 2015 |

Delivery and in-home services in Downtown Austin are getting ridiculous in the most amazing way. New ideations of these delivery services just… keep… appearing.

And now a giant has arrived in the marketplace. You can now get 1 HOUR DELIVERY of everyday items to your downtown Austin condo or office, through the new Amazon Prime Now App.

You do have to be a member of Amazon Prime, and you have to download the app onto your phone.

Choose your item from the options on the app. Choose whether you want 1-hour delivery ($7.99/order) or 2-hour delivery at no additional charge. $15 minimum. Also, you should probably tip, though they say it isn’t required, but I’m guessing it’s expected by your delivery guy.

Here are five types of items that you can have Amazon deliver to you in 1 hour:

1. Nyquil (or other medicines). Say you are siiiiick and Royal Blue Grocery is a couple of blocks too far away. Well, heave a courier get you some NyQuil and throw in some Kleenex to hit your minimum.

2. In the midst of a home project and covered in paint or grime? Order your painter’s tape, picture hooks, and hammer right from your home.

3. Throwing a party and forgot some things? Have an Amazon courier bring over your plates, cups, and napkins (and a couple of snacks) while you prepare for your guests.

4. Out of pet food but don’t want to get in downtown rush-hour traffic? You guessed it, an Amazon courier will bring Fido or Kitty some food and treats.

5. A laptop. Because why not?

Bare-ly Believable La Bare Building

AG | April 2, 2015 |

Remember La Bare on Riverside? Yeah, you do.

If you’re new to Austin, La Bare was a “ladies club” located at 110 E Riverside Drive that advertised male dancer entertainment. From the get-go, the business was troubled due to an incompatible use with the surrounding neighborhood (even then, when it wasn’t as densely populated with residential developments like The Crescent and others) and eventually re-opened on I-35, where it commenced to unwind.

That first part of that story sounds familiar, as a strip club was recently proposed and faces opposition at 422 Congress.

Just as fascinating as its salacious past are the future possibilities for the site, which is now being listed by commercial brokers Avison Young.

The fact that it’s been vacant for yeeeeaaaaaarssss seems nuts given it’s HIGHLY desirable location (again, a familiar theme in recent news). Why? We can only speculate, but it likely had to do with figuring out how the adjacent TxDot property will develop.

With a large landowner controlling several adjacent lots in one of the most desirable areas of Austin, we expect that once the planets align we’re going to see a master plan for all of these sites.

Down the street, CWS is mid-construction on a 260-unit luxury apartment complex.

Downtown Austin Alley Activations – Open House for Rainey Alley

AG | March 27, 2015 |

A little over two years ago today, we wrote about a very cool Alley Activation project done by Art Alliance Austin. In the article, we said that many cities around the world are starting to embrace alleys as more than just loading / unloading and trash dumpster zones. We think that for certain alleys, the concept of revitalization and activation makes a ton of sense.

One such alley in the Rainey district of downtown Austin is getting a second look, compliments of the City’s recent acquisition of funding to pave what’s currently little more than a dirt passage littered with dumpsters behind all of your favorite Rainey Street bars. The alley goes from River Street to where the construction for the Millenium Rainey apartments begin (Millenium Rainey received an alley vacation so they were able to build right over the alley).

downtown-austin-rainey-alley-today — Rainey Alley today, looking north

Millenium Rainey Dead-ends Rainey Alley — Millenium Rainey dead-ends Rainey Alley

We think this is very exciting for the neighborhood not only in the broad sense of representing “out-of-the-box” thinking to maximize public space within the limited confines of an urban area, but more practically and specific to the location – we think this activation may have the effect of “bringing in” the businesses on East Avenue that currently face I-35, encouraging more serviceable and integrated uses to make them fit into the neighborhood they inhabit, rather than being hunkering warehouses with chain-link fences, or out of place and isolated highway bars like the ill-fated Agora.**

The establishments on East Avenue are technically part of the Rainey Neighborhood, but many couldn’t feel more incongruous with their surroundings.

Legacy leather bar Chain Drive, currently sharing 84 East Ave with 2 other concepts

stunning industrial warehouse use, Loomis at

love those chain link fences at 76 1/2 East Ave!

We encourage those interested in upgrading the alley to come to the Mexican American Cultural Center at 600 River Street on On April 7, from 9am-7pm. The City is inviting the public to come and give input on current uses of the alley and solicit constructive ideas for future uses that also preserve the “essential service functions” of the alley. Feel free to share constructive ideas in the comments below, too. We’ll be dropping by the Open House and are happy to share any cool ideas on our readers’ behalves!

More info here.

**Legacy leather bar Chain Drive is currently residing in part of the structure at 84 East Avenue today. It was formerly tucked away and hidden in plain sight on Willow Street off of Red River before being pushed out – likely due to parcel consolidation for the Waller Park Place / Waller Center. Even though it’s not a bar we personally visit, we’d actually like to see it stay around for posterity, if nothing else.

Get your Fixe for Southern Comfort Food in Downtown Austin

AG | March 11, 2015 |

Southern style restaurants are not a new concept for downtown Austin. With great restaurants like Olamie, Bess Bistro, and Moonshine, I would say the bar is set fairly high in this particular arena.

Fixe, the newcomer on the scene, recently opened in the very slick, very new IBC Bank Building, right across 5th street from the Federal Courthouse complex, and is a hop, skip, and a jump away from downtown Austin condo towers like Plaza Lofts and the 360 Condos.

Given the lack of historical character on the building’s exterior, I was setting my expectations low, prepping myself for an upscale, but watered-down experience – a business-lunch destination, with a general lack of gumption.

Austin’s Top Ten Coffee Shops 2015

Lesley Taylor | March 5, 2015 |

Every couple of years Downtown Austin Blog likes to take inventory of Austin’s best coffee shops. With SXSW approaching, thousands of visitors will be looking for a respite, so it is a great time to update our picks. Coffee shops in Austin are everywhere. They’re a dime a dozen. They’re right up there with the food trailer trend. There are even coffee shop-food trailers. You can find coffee shops inside book stores and even inside bike shops.

So how does one navigate through the multitude of places to grab a cup of joe in Austin these days?

Downtown Austin News Bites

AG | February 26, 2015 |

Signs of Progress for Waller Park Place

An application to re-subdivide the lots at 92-98 Red River, 504-505 Willow St., and 503 and 511 E Cesar Chavez was filed recently. We’re eager to see Waller Park Place break ground. This is notable as the largest private development ever proposed in downtown Austin, and when complete will be bring more daytime activity for the burgeoning Rainey Street District.

Bed & Breakfast Proposed for 1304 Rio Grande

A bed & breakfast concept could potentially breathe a little new life into a district of downtown mostly filled with older homes hosting small offices. Very little info exists on the project right now, but we’ll update you as we get additional details.

Google Streetview

A Walk in the Clouds in Downtown Austin

No, this isn’t the 2015 Downtown Austin Blog Prom Theme. It’s another way of saying that downtown Austin is getting another really cool sky bridge concept, a la Fairmont to the Austin Convention Center.

Rendering of skybridge that will connect Fairmont to Austin Convention Center

This time, the “aerial right-of-way encroachment” (sky bridge is catchier, admittedly), is being proposed between West 5th and West 6th Street on Bowie street, and will connect ~~slick new Bowie Apartments~~ Shoal Creek Walk (Class A office and ground floor retail, by Schlosser Development) to Whole Foods Headquarters, a development that has just started site work.

Per developer, this was REQUIRED by city code, since at least one of the buildings it will be connecting are in the flood plain. An additional escape route was required to avoid a fire hazard. It’s our understanding that this concept is a go – as the time for objections has passed, and it’s a safety requirement. We think it’s kind of neat.

Millenium Rainey Restaurant Space Available for $36/sf NNN

Speaking of Rainey Street Happenings, the marketing for the commercial space at Millenium Rainey Apartments is in full force. CBRE is marketing the property – take a look at the marketing packet they created:

(Click on the images for a larger view)

First Crane for Aspen Heights Apartments at 8th and Nueces

It’s alive! Aspen Heights Apartments moving forward with construction, as evidenced by the massive crane recently erected on the site.

Rainey Street District Welcomes Salvation Pizza… and More

AG | February 20, 2015 |

The Rainey Street District continues to evolve, most recently with the opening of Salvation Pizza at the base the Skyhouse Apartments, and across from Milago condos. And another pizza is apparently underway just down the block at 78 Rainey.

When Skyhouse apartments opened last year, their first retail tenant was the enormously popular Royal Blue Grocery. For months a TABC permit application donned the window and residents wondered when Salvation Pizza would finally open.

Jude and I stopped in the other day and enjoyed a white pizza and it was very, very [Read more…] about Rainey Street District Welcomes Salvation Pizza… and More